HOW DOES USAID DECIDE WHAT FOOD ASSISTANCE MODALITY TO CHOOSE?

There is no one “right” food modality to help hungry people. USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (FFP) provides food assistance in a number of ways: food grown in the United States, (known as “in kind” food aid); food grown closer to the emergency (known as local or regional purchase); and cash transfer and food vouchers that allow hungry people to access food in their local markets.

(1) Timeliness. Can one intervention be implemented faster than others?

(2) Local Market Conditions. Do markets have adequate supplies of food and will increased purchases disrupt the markets?

(3) Cost-Effectiveness. Can significantly more beneficiaries be served with one intervention compared to others?

(4) Feasibility/Scale. Is one intervention more practical and convenient than others given the emergency context? Is the beneficiary population easier to reach physically with one intervention compared to others?

(5) Beneficiary Preference. Do beneficiaries prefer one intervention over another?

(6) Targeting and Gender. Does one intervention more accurately target a specific population? Are there gender considerations to be taken into account with one intervention compared to others?

(7) Security. Does the intervention proposed pose a significantly increased security risk to beneficiaries and/or aid workers?

(8) Program Objectives. Does one intervention better meet the program objectives (e.g. improve dietary diversity, reduce malnutrition, mitigate family asset depletion) than others?